Just Desserts
by emerita
Summary: Set after episode 2.15 *contains spoilers*. It is an irony of life that one does not appreciate all one has until it has all been stripped away. Or in this case, stolen by one’s uncle. Pairings: C/B, possible J/B.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N.** I own nothing other than a major case of the hots for Chuck Bass.

Hi. This is the first story I've ever published. So, please be gentle. It just came to me last night as I was washing my hair & I had to write it. I envision it as a three parter with flash backs to fill in any blanks (or rewrite history) as I see fit.

Without further ado...

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It is an irony of life that one does not appreciate all one has until it has been stripped away. Or in this case, stolen by one's bastard uncle.

Chuck Bass reclined in the back of his limo, parked outside his father's building, attempting to make sense of how he had come to this point in his life.

Two months ago he was as close to happy as he had ever been.

The Van der Bass household had settled into blissful domesticity, or at least what passed for it on New York's Upper East Side. He was just starting to enjoy both his extended family and newly found peace with Blair when tragedy struck.

It happened the night of the Snowflake Ball. One moment he was pressed close to Blair, staring into her warm chocolate eyes, acknowledging and accepting that the butterflies wouldn't let him walk away this time. The next, he had learned he was alone in the world. _An orphan._

Life is a ball of string of such defining moments. Unfortunately, he owned more than his fair share of which to be ashamed. The term crash and burn took on new meaning after Bart's death, with Chuck's form of grieving encompassing a month of non-stop alcohol, drugs, and women.

If he hadn't been dragged back from Thailand, he probably still would be there, chasing the dragon.

But dragged he had been. Back to New York. Back to his father's legacy. _Back to Blair._

If Jack had made one miscalculation in his strategy to take over Bass Industries, it was her. He initially underestimated the ability of the petite brunette to save Chuck from drowning in a sea of misery. Blair had hauled him up for air and for a while, things seemed better. He seemed better.

But no one knows a Bass quite like another Bass. Jack said all the right words, pushed all the right buttons. And like a fool, Chuck willingly followed in him down the primrose path to self-destruction. His only excuse was that it had felt good for those few precious moments to be accepted and embraced by the new father figure in his life.

And now he would be nothing. Although it had come too soon, Chuck always knew his destiny was to follow in Bart's footsteps as CEO. The company, the only thing his father ever truly loved, was always meant to be entrusted to Chuck.

Too bad he lost it in a matter of weeks.

_A disappointment as always, huh, Dad?_ Bitterness started to well up in his throat and something that felt suspiciously like tears burned behind his eyes.

_This isn't the way things are supposed to be._

Jack had carefully plotted his endgame. The board was on his side. As Chuck's legal guardian, he controlled the majority shares of the company. Only Lily stood against him. Chuck was appreciative of her support, but it wouldn't stop the inevitable.

"Sir? We've arrived," the uniformed chauffer lowered the window and interrupted Chuck's reverie.

_Always one to state the obvious_, Chuck thought to himself. "I know Arthur," he replied. "I'm just savoring my final moments as CEO of my father's company."

Arthur's only reply was to close the window, leaving Chuck to the privacy of his own thoughts.

His mind wondered over the past three weeks, trying to settle on the exact moment that he had faltered. It was a snowball of events, really. The board walking in on him "entertaining" had simply been the final straw.

It had been the final straw for Blair as well.

He was riding a serious buzz when he decided to take the evening's entertainment to his father's office. The party continued well into the morning as he and his two lovely companions popped pills and drank the old man's scotch. Exorcising the ghost of CEOs past had never felt so good.

It was all fun and games until he saw the utter devastation on Blair's face. Yet another moment for Chuck to be ashamed of.

He tried to shake it off. After all, she was the one acting like his girlfriend. It's not like they _were_ _together_.

She hadn't said a word. She stared at him for a couple moments, as if burning the image of him defiling his father's office into her memory. Then she turned on her heel and walked out.

He wanted to follow her, but stayed to deal with the fallout instead.

Fifteen minutes later, Chuck finally comprehended how costly his mistake was when the Board informed of their decision to put a vote of no-confidence to the shareholders and remove him as CEO. Jack would take his place.

That day, Chuck Bass came to a hard realization. Gone were the days that he could skate through life and not suffer the consequences of his misdeeds.

Sure there was money and power, but now there was also great responsibility.

_Too bad he had fucked it up._

It didn't matter that he had tried to make things right. The board was adamant. Jack was only in it for himself. _And Blair…_

He closed his eyes refusing to relive that horrible night or the accusations they had hurled at each other like knives. He tried not to imagine her touching Jack like she once touched him.

Glancing at his watch, Chuck realized he had five minutes until the meeting started. The time had come to pay the piper.

He gathered up his tattered pride, determined to maintain his composure during the coming ordeal. He exited the limo and briskly walked to the entrance of Bass Industries.

His last, fleeting thought before he entered the building was that Bart Bass had finally done from the grave what he failed to do in life. He had forced his son to become a man.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for a growing fixation with everyone's favorite motherchucker.

**A/N:** Since I didn't finish before ep. 16, please expect some deviations from the show. For those of you who have this story on alert, I apologize for the overdue update. Unfortunately, I have to work for a living (despite my conviction that I would make one heck of a kept woman). I promise part three won't take so long. A big thank you to those who left reviews. I mainly wrote this for my own enjoyment, but it's wonderful to know that others take pleasure in it as well.

* * *

_**Gossip Girl: Spotted, Queen B channeling her inner Elle Woods during a hasty breakfast with C—her stepfather dearest that is. We all know B likes to coordinate outfits with her dates, but coordinating with family is pushing things a little too far. And where did she rush off with Cyrus to? B was in such a hurry she left her non-fat latte behind!**_

Chuck gritted his teeth waiting for the elevator to arrive on the 80th floor. Under normal circumstances, the walk of shame to his execution would have been painful. Having Jack along for the ride was torture.

He should have taken the next elevator.

For his part, Jack acted as if there was nothing wrong with screwing over his last remaining blood relative.

To make things even worse, the bastard wanted to talk. _About Blair. _

He half listened to Jack's prattling, filling in the blanks on his own. He wondered just how long his uncle had been screwing Blair behind his back. Being Chuck Bass, natural progression led him to thinking about where. _In my limo. This elevator. While she called to say she missed me._

His anger over the situation was unreasonable. He had pushed Blair away more than once. He couldn't even remember (let alone count) the number of women he had been with since Bart's death. To him, sex was meaningless unless it was with Blair.

To Blair, sex was always meaningful.

Maybe that's why it hurt so much.

**Five Days Ago**

"_I'm sorry, but I'm done."_

Five words, sixteen letters. She said them slowly, with calculation. There was no anger, just a deep searing pain in the vicinity of her heart. As much as she tried, she couldn't look Chuck in the eye. Couldn't let him see how close to the edge she truly was. How much it hurt.

Had it really only been a week ago that she told him she would always be there? Yet another broken promise that rang in the silence between them.

Her hands tightened reflexively on the small bouquet of peonies, a symbol that somewhere deep inside his pea-sized heart, Chuck Bass cared for her. If only for this instant. If only the slightest bit.

_You need to let go of your fantasies. _This time, the voice repeating the words in her head was her own. She glanced at the flowers. They were too little, too late.

As the elevator doors closed, she tossed the peonies at Chuck's feet. For a moment, it felt good to be the one lashing out, giving back a little piece of the rejection she'd experienced over and over again.

For the first time since Bart's death, Blair was the one deciding the course of her and Chuck's non-relationship. She ended it. She had won.

Too bad if felt like she had lost the world. She turned and preceded calmly towards her room, ever the dignified princess, willing herself not to crack. As she reached the stairs, she saw Dorota off to the side, wringing her hands with worry. She cast a fleeting smile towards the loyal maid and continued on her way.

She reached the top of the stairs before she realized she was crying. She was able to hold the sobs back until she reached the safety of her room. She locked the door behind her and did the one thing Blair Waldorf never allowed herself to do. She lost control.

Fifteen minutes later she stared dejectedly at the toilet. The first time, shortly after Bart's funeral, had been an accident. The second she convinced herself was the stomach flu. The fifth was caused by too much alcohol and too much Jack Bass on New Year's Eve. Blair completed the ritual by flushing the toilet reaching for her toothbrush. As she allowed her carefully constructed mask of perfection to settle back into place, she had a disturbing realization. _She'd lost count of how many times._

She was just beginning to grapple with the implications of _it_ returning, when her cell phone started ringing. She reached for it, hating that her heart skipped a beat. She glanced at the caller ID and hesitated before answering. _It was him._ It took only a second to weigh her options. Once she started down this path there would be no turning back. It would be all or nothing. But if there was one thing Blair knew how to do, it was play for keeps.

Taking a deep, cleansing breath, she smiled and answered the phone.

"Hello, Jack. I've been hoping you'd call."

**Three Days Later**

"It's YALE, Serena. I am not overreacting!" Blair yelled into her phone as she exited the elevator and stepped into the van der Woodsen apartment. To further demonstrate said lack of overreaction, she disconnected her BFF without as much as a pithy comment.

Serena walked around the corner and continued the conversation without missing a beat. "It's one B. It's not the end of the world. You have a wonderful academic record and outstanding extra-curriculars. Yale would be stupid not to admit you."

Blair looked at Serena, saw the sincerity in her eyes, and immediately started tearing up. She launched herself at the other girl, laughing through the tears. "I love you, S. You always believe in me, even when I don't believe in myself. "

Serena sighed and returned the embrace. Blair was such a bundle of emotions, lately.

The sound of her mother delicately clearing her throat reminded them that had an audience. Blair wiped her eyes and laughed. She really was overreacting. She turned towards Serena's mother, an apology already on her lips. "I'm sorry, Lily. I seem to be a watering pot lately…" She broke off as she realized Lily wasn't alone.

On the sofa next to her sat the devil himself, Chuck Bass.

Blair did her best to glare him into non-existence. Chuck squinted at her. She hated that squint.

The awkward moment stretched until Lily's good breeding kicked in. "It's quite all right, Blair. Charles and I were discussing some recent problems he's been having."

"Recent?" Blair asked with feigned astonishment. "Two months of degeneracy and failure, I'd say it's pretty much become business as usual."

"Nevertheless, he is family. Bart would have wanted—"

"Bart would have wanted _Charles_ to learn to take responsibility for his actions and solve his problems on his own," Blair snapped.

"What's your point, Waldorf?" Chuck interjected.

"My point, Bass, is that you would be able to resolve this little dilemma with your oh-so-charming uncle if you weren't wasting brain cells on booze, drugs, and women."

The basstard smirked. She hated that smirk even more than the squint. "It always comes back to this, Blair. You playing the jeal—"

"Whatever," Blair cut him off in the middle of his sentence. "I said I was done and I meant it." She turned to Serena. "Before I was distracted by Yale, we were discussing wardrobe for my…_fishing expedition_…tonight. I believe you have just the thing." She steered Serena towards her room, eager to get away from Chuck.

Ten minutes later, she practically sprinted through the room tossing hasty apology and goodbye at Lily. She didn't spare a glance for Chuck.

Lily made an attempt at covering for Blair's rudeness. "Charles, I'm sure Blair will get over being upset at you. Just give her a couple days."

He stared dejectedly at the floor. "I wouldn't count on it," was his only reply.

**Three hours later**

Chuck sat at the Palace bar nursing his scotch and doing his best to forget Blair Waldorf. He was failing miserably.

The look she had given him this afternoon had said it all. She wanted nothing more to do with him. Funny that he had still been holding out hope that maybe he could win her forgiveness.

"Is this seat taken?"

Chuck stiffened as his uncle Jack sat on the stool next to him. "Yes, as a matter of fact, it is."

Jack chuckled. "I'll only need it for a moment. My date should be here any minute now."

"Thank goodness for small favors," was Chuck's dry reply.

"Kid, I gotta hand it to you. You have wonderful taste in women. No self control, but wonderful taste."

Chuck turned towards his last living relative and waited. It had taken a couple days for him to catch on, but Chuck quickly realized that Jack was a braggart. You didn't need to press for information. If you simply waited, he'd spill it on his own.

"After what happened between us on New Year's Eve, I had hoped…But then I brought you home and realized she only had eyes for you. Lucky for me, Blair agreed—"

"Blair wouldn't touch you," Chuck bit off angrily.

"Oh, yeah? Why don't you ask her about that?" Jack motioned for Chuck to turn around.

Chuck had seen Blair in her many forms. He'd seen her buttoned, pressed, & proper. He had seen her strip at Victrola. He had seen her naked in the back of his limo. Several times. But he had never seen the woman standing before him.

She was dressed in a short red scrap that he vaguely remembered Serena wearing once during her party girl days. The offending garment was cut low in the front (displaying more Waldorf than he'd ever seen in public) with a hemline that was approximately two inches from displaying her ass. Her hair curled and flowed around her body. Her smoky eyes and red lips smiled as if she held all the answers to all the world's mysteries within her palm.

Chuck almost smiled in return until he realized it wasn't for him. _It was for Jack._

"Wow. I'm going to have a wonderful time tonight." Jack stood and patted Chuck on the back. "See you around, kid."

Chuck couldn't tear his eyes away as Jack guided Blair out of the Palace restaurant, his hand dangerously low on the small of her back. He closed his eyes and started counting the ways he could murder his uncle.

**Present**

Only ten more floors. Chuck was regretting his decision to go through this ordeal sober. He should have lit up in the limo when he had the chance. Some herbal refreshment might have made the elevator ride with Jack sufferable.

"I really should thank Blair for dinner the other night. I'm thinking flowers. Any suggestions?" Jack apparently found no shame in asking his nephew for advice concerning said nephew's former lovers.

_Nothing would have made this sufferable_.

"I'm not discussing Blair with you." Chuck smirked at how reasonable and calm the words sounded. Inside he was howling like a wounded animal, but he'd be damned if Jack knew it.

"You look like a kicked puppy," Jack happily replied.

_So much for not letting him see you sweat._

The elevator dinged its arrival on the 80th floor. As the doors opened, Jack slung his arm around Chuck's shoulders. "Kid, I'm about to do you a huge favor."

"Are you going to disappear?" Chuck tried not to sound too hopeful.

"Not a chance," Jack said with a derisive smile. "But I'm feeling magnanimous today. After all, we both know this meeting is just a formality. The Board has already effectively put me in charge."

He dragged Chuck out of the elevator, towards the conference room where the Board was waiting. "But just to show you that there are no hard feelings and I really do have your best interests at heart, I'm going to tell you the truth."

Despite himself, Chuck was curious. "The truth about what?"

"The truth about Blair Waldorf."


	3. Chapter 3

I own nothing but an unnatural fascination with all things Bass.

**A/N:** I'm ashamed to admit that this story has totally gotten away from me. The characters do what they want, not necessarily what fits with my storyline. (I wonder if the writers on the show have this problem.) Anyways, thanks to Blair's little detour, there will now be two more chapters. Well, more accurately there will be one more chapter and an epilogue. Thank you for the wonderful (& surprisingly demanding:D) reviews. Enjoy!

* * *

_The truth about Blair Waldorf._

"I doubt there's anything you can say that I don't already know." Chuck growled at his uncle.

Jack looked at his nephew appraisingly. It would be so simple to push him off the ledge he was barely grasping. The seeds of doubt were already planted. A few well placed words could send Chuck into a vicious tailwind that he might never pull out of.

It would be the final nail in the coffin, so to speak. Poor little rich boy. No company and no one to love him. His life would be less complicated with Chuck out of commission. It would be so easy to put an end to Bart's heir.

The question was did he want to?

"I wouldn't count on it, kid."

**  
Two Days Ago**

Blair was bored to tears. Arturo's was one of her favorite restaurants. Normally, she loved the seared arctic char and roasted artichokes. Sometimes, she dreamed about their raspberry beignets. But tonight, it all tasted like ashes due to the wretch sitting across the table.

Dinner with Jack was like a Spice Girls reunion. It sounded good in theory, but was vastly disappointing in actuality. Who would have thought it would take more than a little red dress, sultry smile, and good bottle of wine to get Jack to talk about himself? Oh, yeah. Lily. She really should have listened to Serena's mother when she tried to talk her into cancelling her "date."

_He is a cunning business man, Blair. It will take more time and effort than we have to get Jack to trust you._

Blair hated it when she was wrong and one of the van der Woodsens was right. Thankfully, it was a rare occurrence.

After two hours of listening to Jack drone on concerning his new favorite subject, Bass Industries, Blair decided that she had wasted enough energy on a failed scheme. Time to cut her losses and run.

She quietly slipped her phone from her Kate Spade clutch and furtively texted Serena from underneath the table. Hopefully her friend would come through and save her from having to waste any more of her night with the Basstard's uncle.

A moment later, she realized there was a lull in the previously one-sided conversation. She glanced up to see Jack giving her an expectant look. _Way to go. Now he knows you weren't paying attention._

"Sorry, I was gazing off into space. I think I've had a little too much wine." Blair narrowed her eyes as Jack smirked at her. The jerk was probably replaying the last time she had too much to drink. She hoped he enjoyed the memory because it wasn't an experience she was looking to repeat. Ever.

"I asked if you would like to see the view from my new apartment." Jack replied in a seductive tone. At least he probably thought it was seductive. Blair found it nauseating.

The sound of her cell phone ringing saved her from having to answer. God bless Serena and her excellent timing. "I better take this," Blair said, trying her best to sound apologetic. "It's my maid, Dorota. She wouldn't interrupt unless it was important."

Clinging to the pretext that there was an emergency at home, Blair feigned disappointment and let Jack know that their evening had to be cut short. He made a good show of protesting until she promised to make it up to him. After suffering through an awkward, but thankfully short, good night kiss, she was able to pry herself away from his roving hands.

Ten minutes and a short cab ride later, she was entering her penthouse when Serena called. "Oh, my God," she answered. "That was the single, most painfully uncomfortable experience of my life."

"Mom warned you" Serena replied, feeling no pity for Blair.

"I know, but I had to try. I thought that maybe after New Year's he would think…"

"Think that you would screw over Chuck for him? Yeah, right." Serena scoffed.

Blair rolled her eyes as she started up the staircase. "Well, since plan B was such a bust, we'll have to stick with plan A. Remind Lily to have the paperwork drawn up first thing in the morning. I'll talk to Cyrus."

There was a brief silence on the other line and Blair could almost hear the wheels in Serena's head turning. "B, do you really think Jack is going to give up so easy?" she asked.

"No. We need something else to seal the deal but we're running out of time. We need your friend, Joe." Blair sighed in frustration. "We'll talk about it in the morning. I need to go disinfect."

Blair disconnected the call and tried not to think about why she was becoming embroiled once again in the drama that surrounded Chuck. She could pretend that she was after revenge. Getting rid of Jack would give her some satisfaction, especially after he took advantage of her when she was so obviously inebriated.

But it was more than that. Chuck deserved a level playing field as he stepped into his father's shoes. He needed to learn whether he was going to sink or swim on his own merits. If he could be the man his father thought he could be. Jack had taken that away in one fell swoop.

Blair was determined to do her part to ensure that Chuck had a fighting chance. Maybe along the way, Chuck would _be better_ and someday…

Blair kicked off her shoes and was reaching for the light switch, when a voice from the darkness startled her from her thoughts.

"Early night?"

Chuck blinked as light flooded the room. He was sprawled on her bed, hands behind his head. He'd been waiting for about an hour. He'd been prepared to wait a lot longer. Guess his uncle really was quick on the trigger, so to speak. He said as much to Blair and waited for her to explode.

She didn't. She gave him a blank stare instead. "What are you doing here?"

"I've come," he said succinctly, "for answers."

"Answers about what Chuck?"

"Don't play innocent, Blair. I want to know what happened between you and my uncle on New Year's Eve and why he suddenly thinks he has a chance at getting his grubby hands underneath your skirt."

Blair shook her head at him. "No, Chuck. I'm going to take a shower. You need to be gone before I'm finished."

Chuck shot up from the bed and grabbed her before she could walk away. "Tell me!" he demanded.

She closed her eyes. "What do you want to know?"

He lifted her chin with one finger until she opened her eyes and met his gaze. "Everything. I want to know everything."

The accusation and disappointment in his eyes was too much. The explosion he'd expected earlier erupted from her lips.

"Fine! You want to know everything? It was New Year's Eve. I was drunk, alone, and miserable and he found me at the Palace Bar. One moment, I was tossing back martinis, the next we were on our way to his room."

"Then what."

"What do you think, Chuck? Use your imagination because I'm not going to give you a play-by-play."

"How many times since?"

"Once, twice, a dozen. Does it matter?"

"I can't believe you—"

"Save your insults, Chuck." Blair interrupted. "They might hurt more if you hadn't already proven yourself to be the biggest slut on the Upper East Side."

She pulled away from his grasp and lowered her head so he wouldn't see the guilt or the shame in her eyes. "Now leave, before I have you thrown out."

He hesitated a moment before turning away from her. Blair listened as the door closed behind him and his footfalls faded down the hallway. She reached for her phone, needing to satisfy the overwhelming urge to confide in someone.

"So much for waiting for morning," Serena laughed as she answered the call.

"Chuck was just here," Blair said softly. "He wanted to know about New Year's and Jack. He was so angry."

"Oh, B. I'm sorry," Serena replied. "What happened?"

Blair started sobbing into the phone. "I lied to him, Serena. I lied."

**  
Present**

"Blair already told me about New Year's Eve and the tawdry little liaison you two have been participating in ever since."

Jack stopped midstride to look at his nephew. For a moment he couldn't comprehend that Blair had delivered the fait accompli when even he had hesitated crushing all Chuck's hopes.

Chuck, sensing his uncle's hesitation turned to face him.

"What exactly did she tell you?" Jack asked.

Chuck glared at his uncle. "She told me that you two hooked up while I was gone and have apparently been going strong ever since."

The asshole had the nerve to smile.

"She told you we had sex?" Jack asked once more, just to make sure he wasn't imagining things.

"I'm starting to doubt the quality of your comprehension skills. Yes, Blair told me that you two had sex." Chuck did his best to say the words as if they didn't matter. He failed miserably.

Jack moved his head from side to side as if digesting the words. Then he did the last thing Chuck expected.

He started laughing.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own nothing…yada yada yada

**A/N:** This is the way that I thought Jack would be disposed of. Although it's not as convenient as magically appearing adoption papers, it gets the job done. As for Blair & Jack…did they or didn't they? Hmmm…

* * *

Two minutes later, Jack was still shaking with mirth and Chuck was quickly losing his patience. They were now officially late for the ceremonial dethroning. He might not be able to stop the board from removing him as CEO, but didn't have waste another minute of his life listening to Jack bray like the ass he was.

"You've had enough fun at my expense. Whatever happened doesn't matter." Chuck tried to brush past him.

"Wait," Jack said, wiping the moisture from his eyes. "Don't you want to know the truth?"

_The truth._ He had learned the truth from Queen B herself. Two nights ago to be exact. As she reeked of another man. But the words still hit their mark, playing on Chuck's need to know _everything_.

Despite his better judgment, he waited for Jack to continue.

"I apologize for my outburst. I was just enjoying the irony of the situation. Here I was, debating whether or not to tell you about my little New Year's Eve rendezvous with your precious Blair. But she beat me to the punch. You must have really pissed her off."

"Why do you say that?" Chuck snapped, refusing to acknowledge the truth in Jack's words. His relationship with Blair was royally fucked but as far as he was concerned, that was no one's business but his own.

"I didn't sleep with her."

Chuck blinked, sure he had misunderstood.

Jack, oblivious to Chuck's confusion, continued his explanation. "I'm not going to insult you're intelligence and say nothing happened. We both know that would be a lie. She was rather wasted but seemed to be getting into the spirit of things."

The bastard seemed almost wistful recalling the memory of his interlude with Blair. Being the owner of many such memories, Chuck knew the feeling well. He might have commiserated with the older man if it had been anyone other than Blair.

The wistful expression turned bitter. "Then she called me by your name. I ignored it the first time. The second put a damper on things. I arranged for her to be taken home and found someone more accommodating."

Jack smirked as understanding of the depth of Blair's deception lit across Chuck's face. "Now, her little performance at dinner the other night makes sense. At first, I thought she was digging for information to tell you. But knowing she used me to give you a taste of your own medicine? Hey, I'm all for whatever keeps you distracted from Bass Industries."

Chuck groaned part in relief, part in frustration. Blair had put him through two days and nights of hell for nothing. Images of her and Jack had haunted him. All because she had to have the last word.

Somewhere in the deep recesses of the heart Chuck claimed not to have, hope blossomed. Blair was trying to punish and hurt him by lying about being with Jack. Making your lover jealous was something he understood very well.

She might not know it yet, but Blair Waldorf was far from done with Chuck Bass.

He tried to summon a smidgeon of anger at being manipulated, but failed. He lost both Blair and his father's legacy through his own stupidity and self-absorption. He deserved whatever punishment she and the Board dished out.

The fact that Jack was benefitting from his disgrace was another matter.

Jack paused outside the conference room and glanced at Chuck. "I'm really sorry things had to be like this. I hope you understand it was always about the company. Nothing personal."

Chuck curled his lip. "Nothing personal? Jack, this was very personal. And one day, you'll get what's coming to you. I only hope I'm there to see it."

Jack nonchalantly waved off Chuck's resentment and entered the conference room. Chuck moved to follow and almost slammed into Jack's back as his uncle came to a dead stop in the doorway. Chuck looked passed him and was surprised at the room's occupants.

There were five people seated at the table. Lily and Blair's stepfather Cyrus (of all people) on one side, Peter Holmberg (the infamous Chairman) and a nameless lackey on the other. The fifth member of the party sat at the head of the table, chair turned away, facing the breathtaking Manhattan skyline.

"Gentlemen," Holmberg began. "Please take a seat. Unfortunately, an urgent matter has come to the Board's attention. We have suspended the scheduled meeting until this matter is put to rest."

Apparently, dethroning had been put off until another day.

Chuck hesitated for a moment, suddenly unsure of himself and the part he was to play. It wasn't first time since his father's death that he experienced the unsettling sensation of not belonging…anywhere.

"Charles." He looked up as Lily said his name. The look in her eyes softened and he knew that she understood his hesitation. "Why don't you sit here?" She motioned to the empty chair next to her. Despite her faults, Lily was doing her best to stand by him. To be the mother he never had.

"What seems to be the problem?" Jack said to the room at large as he seated himself at the end of the table.

"Unfortunately for you," a familiar voice said, "I'm the problem."

Chuck should have been surprised that it was Blair who turned to face the table. He wasn't.

Jack, on the other hand, was. He sprung from his seat in outrage, "What is she doing here?"

The chairman politely ignored the outburst and commenced the meeting. "Ms. Waldorf has come to the Board with some alarming allegations. The nature of her complaint is a delicate matter that we don't want going public and further affecting the company's stock price."

"Whatever she told you is a lie. I never touched her. She's practically jail bait."

Holmberg seemed surprised by Jack's declaration. "Uh, that is not the nature of Ms. Waldorf's allegation. I think it best that you hear her and Mrs. Bass out before you make any further comments that might cause you to incriminate yourself."

Chuck smirked as Jack warily sank back into his chair. After the past week, it felt good see someone else on the receiving end of the Board's anger. Especially when the someone else was his uncle.

Blair cleared her throat. Chuck turned his eyes to her, part of the captive audience eagerly awaiting the surprise she was sure to disclose. She should have looked out of place at the head of the conference room table of a multi-billion dollar corporation. But even in the chair Big Bad Bart had dominated from, like so other many parts of his life, Blair fit.

The butterflies in his stomach roared to life at the chance her presence meant that she had forgiven his transgressions.

Then she smiled.

Chuck knew that smile. It was the same smile she had given him last summer after she stepped off the Jitney and planted a big one on little Lord Fauntleroy. Although he hadn't been there, he was sure it was the same smile she flashed Whoregina Sparks as she was carted away to boot camp.

This time the smile was directed at Jack.

"Well?" Suddenly uncomfortable with the mounting tension, Jack motioned for Blair to get on with her big revelation.

Blair's eyes narrowed in annoyance as she started to speak. "Most stories end with a moral but I think I'll start mine with one. You should never underestimate the importance of family. It's a universally acknowledged truth and a lesson that everyone," her eyes briefly rested on Chuck, "here has learned. Except for you, Jack."

Blair paused slightly as if weighing her words. Chuck assumed it was for dramatic effect. The Blair he knew, _his Blair_, would have this speech memorized and her performance perfectly blocked.

"In the beginning you had me fooled. You seemed genuinely concerned and went to great lengths to bring Chuck home. But, that night on the rooftop at Victrola, I couldn't escape the notion that you wanted him to fall."

Chuck looked at Blair in surprise. It was an unspoken rule that they never talk about that night. He didn't mention how thankful he was that she'd talked him off that ledge and she didn't admit close it had all come to ending.

Blair seemed almost contemplative as she continued her soliloquy. "Something other than familial duty was driving you. Envy. First of Bart, then of Chuck. Poor, poor Jack. Still on the outside looking in. Forced to play from the sidelines and not be a part of the real action."

"Are you going to get to a point any time soon?" Jack interjected.

"Patience," she smirked. "Good things come to those who wait and I promise you, I'm about to get to the good part. Teaching his son emotional growth wasn't exactly Bart Bass's strong suit." She spared glanced at Chuck. "But protecting his family was."

Blair lifted a folder and tossed it across the table. "You can imagine our surprise when Lily and I found this in Bart's safe."

_You would be able to resolve this little dilemma with your oh-so-charming uncle if you weren't wasting brain cells._ Blair's words rankled as understanding dawned. In all his scheming to take Jack, Chuck never thought to check his father's safe. Of course Bart kept a file on his brother. Everyone had a file.

It should have been the first place he looked. Apparently, it was the first place Blair and Lily had.

"Nothing shocking in it. Mostly the favorite Bass family traditions of alcohol, drugs, and women. Except for a handwritten note on the very last page. Seems Bart suspected that you were embezzling from the company."

Jack's face turned red with anger. "That's preposterous! It's an outright lie. Not to mention there's not a shred of proof."

Blair arched one perfectly manicured brow. "Oh, Jack. But there is. This is where the importance of family comes into play. Bart didn't have enough time to uncover whatever scam you were running. We needed a crack auditor to review the books quickly and quietly without attracting attention. Who would have guessed that Serena's misspent sophomore year would be our saving grace?"

She gestured to the man sitting next to Holmberg. "She knew Joseph Mignelli from her PJ Clarke's days. Joe freelances with the IRS Fraud department. They won't hire him out due to his father's _familial_ ties."

The non-descript, and apparently mob-connected, man spoke for the first time. "If there's one thing you learn in my father's line of business, it's how to spot someone who's skimming off the top. I was actually kind of impressed, Mr. Bass. It took me three hours to decipher your convoluted accounting. Usually only takes two."

Jack, realizing he was fighting a losing battle, laid his trump card on the table. "This doesn't change the fact that I'm still Chuck's guardian and control his shares of the company."

"Actually, it does," Lily countered. "This morning I filed suit in family court and had an emergency hearing to contest your guardianship of my stepson." Lily placed her hand over Chuck's. He realized she was offering him something more valuable than her shares in Bass Industries. She was offering him a place to belong.

She was fighting to keep him.

A moment later, Chuck realized he was clutching Lily's hand. He was debating letting go when she squeezed his in silent reassurance. He decided to hold on a little longer.

"Overturning guardianship would take months and until then, I still have control." Jack tried, and failed, to hide his growing desperation.

Lily continued as if Jack hadn't spoken. "I also petitioned the court to appoint a Guardian Ad Litem to represent Chuck's interests. After all, I wouldn't want you to take any lingering bitterness out on the minor child."

"Fortunately, Cyrus just happened to be in the courtroom and volunteered his services," Blair cut in.

Cyrus pulled several documents from his briefcase and passed them to Jack with a terse explanation. "My first action was to immediately request an injunction barring you from accessing or exercising control over any and all assets held in trust for Charles until the custodial guardianship matter is settled in court."

Blair was unable to conceal her glee as she delivered the final blow. "As you observed, it'll probably take months for the case to even be heard. Fortunately for Chuck, he only needs it to take four. Then he'll be 18 and it won't matter anyway."

"You think this is it? You think you've won?" Jack growled from his end of the table.

Blair stood up and sauntered towards him. "Oh, I know I've won. Joe has built a pretty air-tight case against you. The Board has decided not to prosecute because they're convinced the company's stock couldn't handle a scandal so recently after Bart's passing. If I were you, I would take the money and run."

She paused by Jack's chair, smiling at everyone except Chuck. "It looks like my work here is done. I trust that remaining details can be wrapped up without my presence."

"Oh, and Jack?" He turned to look at her. Always one to rub salt in the wound, Blair leaned down and kissed him, gently drawing his lower lip between her teeth as she pulled away. "I hope you will remember this day as fondly as I will."

If glares could kill Blair would be dead on the spot.

She mockingly traced the line of Jack's jaw. "Here's looking at you, kid."

She turned and left the room without even a glance in Chuck's direction. Chuck couldn't tear his eyes away from her.

* * *

She was waiting for the elevator when he caught up to her.

"Nice performance, Waldorf."

"Thank you. I do my best work when confronting the dredges of society."

Chuck wasn't going to let her off that easy. Despite her claims of being done, they had unfinished business. "No, I'm talking about the performance you gave two nights ago in your bedroom when you lied to me about Jack. He told me the truth. Imagine my surprise that when I learned that other than some sleazy grope fest, nothing happened."

Blair closed her eyes and sighed. "I didn't know. I lied about the after, but that night…I blacked out. According to Dorota, I came home wearing my coat and not much else. I thought we'd…"

She turned to glare at him in accusation. "It doesn't matter whether I was with Jack or some random guy. What matters is that I wasn't with you."

"I'm sorry I wasn't here."

"I'm used to you running away, Chuck. It's what you do best."

He was losing. Again. This might be his last chance and he'd be damned if he went down without a fight. "I want another chance. Blair, I lov-"

He broke off as she pressed her fingers to his lips, stemming his confession.

"It's not enough," she replied

"But, I--" Chuck stumbled over his words, shocked that Blair refused to hear him say _it_.

"The note you left that night. You were right. I deserve better."

This was the end. Blair had made up her mind and wouldn't be swayed. This was closure. She really was done with him. For good.

"So, what are you waiting on?"

He looked at her in confusion. Blair motioned towards the conference room where the Board, Cyrus, and Lily sat discussing the future of Bass Industries. "Go be better." Blair stepped into the waiting elevator, leaving Chuck standing alone in the hallway.

"And when I'm better, will there still be a chance for us?" he called after her.

Blair looked at him with sadness in her eyes. As the doors closed, she softly replied, "I don't know, Chuck. I just don't know."

Chuck stared at the closed elevator doors, feeling as if he had just been slapped in the face with a bouquet of peonies. Unfortunately, it was a familiar sensation. His confrontations with Blair left deeper wounds than he cared to admit.

Succinct as always, Blair had summed it up nicely. He had disappointed everyone in his life. And now she wanted him to _be better_.

Just this morning he had realized that his father's death was forcing him to become an adult, whether he liked it or not. Being better wasn't that much more of a stretch.

As he walked back to the conference room, Chuck considered the type of man he could become. He could choose to be the closet romantic in love with Blair or the drugged up womanizer following in his uncle's depraved footsteps. A man who built upon his father's legacy or a selfish leech that sucked it dry.

The real question was did he even want to try to be better when it might not make a difference? When she probably wouldn't wait?

Chuck smiled.

Even a ghost of a chance was worth fighting for when the reward was Blair Waldorf's heart.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing!

**A/N: **There's so much CB angst in the air, I chose to end with something…not so angsty. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

**Four Months Later – May 19, 2009**

Blair snuggled deeper into her warm cocoon, doing her best to ignore the incessant buzzing of her phone. She wasn't quite sure what time it was, but the lack of sunlight peaking through lace curtains told her it was an ungodly hour. Only Serena would dare risk the wrath of interrupting Queen B's beauty sleep by purposely ignore the six hour time difference between New York and Paris.

Her best friend would expect Blair to handle whatever new crisis was erupting back home. She would be lucky if she received two words coherently strung together.

The buzzing stopped and Blair let out a hopeful sigh. _Crisis adverted, slumber reclaimed._

She was just beginning to drift back to sleep when the phone starting ringing again. She blindly grabbed for it and answered without checking the caller id.

"This had better be good," Blair grumbled. She might be semi-awake, but she didn't have to like it.

"Thank God you answered B!" Serena yelled at the ear-splitting decibel she usually reserved for life-or-death emergencies.

"What's wrong?" Blair asked, immediately alert and preparing for the worse. _Break-up, death, or Bendel's going out of business._

"It's Chuck! He's been gone for four days now. I thought he was hiding out to avoid being subpoenaed by Jack's lawyers. But today's his birthday and he's still missing!"

_False alarm._

Blair groggily looked at her clock and struggled through some mental math. "Serena, its five minutes after midnight in New York. Chuck has been 18 for exactly _five_ minutes."

"And?"

"He'll show up. Besides, you know how Chuck is. He's probably holed up with some call girl celebrating reaching his majority by contracting a STD." Blair tried, and failed, to keep the sarcasm from creeping into her voice.

Serena sighed in frustration. Blair understood her annoyance. They'd been having this argument with increasing frequency. It was always the same story. Serena called worried about Chuck. Blair would make a disparaging yet witty comment. Serena would follow up with a claim of Chuck's new-found piety.

"I doubt it," Serena said sticking to the script. "He's been different since Jack left. He moved back in to the apartment and stopped drinking—mostly. He hasn't brought a single girl home."

For a moment, Blair was distracted by thoughts of Chuck and the months since she had laid her cards on the table. She deserved better. She practically begged him to be better. But, he hadn't promised to change and she hadn't promised to wait.

Those first weeks had been the hardest. She'd drowned her sorrows in Godiva and Häagen-Dazs. When binging and purging didn't fill the void, she'd added Nate and Carter Baizen, of all people, to the mix. The emptiness remained.

The cycle had continued until the morning Eleanor caught her red-handed in the bathroom with the water running and evidence in the porcelain toilet bowl. As she cried on the bathroom floor, wrapped in her mother's arms, Blair had a revelation. Chuck Bass wasn't the only person who needed to be better.

Blair forced a chuckle to lighten the mood. "Are you trying to convince me that Chuck has been abstinent for the past four months? Good one, S. I'm sure he's at the Palace, enjoying a plethora of female delights. He'll show up eventually."

Serena hesitated. "You're probably right. It's just…he's my brother now. He's had such a hard year with his dad and Jack. I didn't want him to be alone. He needs his family and friends. Speaking of which, you couldn't have picked a worse time to jet off to France."

Blair rolled her eyes at Serena's obvious attempt at a guilt trip. Despite the fact they were sisters where it counted, S was firmly on Team Chuck. "It's not my fault Roman's sister decided to get married the week of Chuck's birthday."

"The wedding was Saturday. Did you really need to spend the rest of the week there?" Serena muttered.

"We've already had this discussion and I'm not coming home early. I rarely get to see my father and France isn't exactly an overnight trip."

"I know. I just wish you were here."

Blair knew she was being manipulated by a master, but her conscience stirred anyway. Serena was concerned for her brother's welfare. On the other hand, the brother had good reason to keep his whereabouts secret. Jack hadn't taken losing Bass Industries gracefully. The fact that Chuck's new "assistant" had a lethal looking bulge underneath his Brioni jacket spoke volumes of the lengths Jack was willing to go to get the company back.

Blair gave up playing unconcerned and offered Serena the words of comfort she was seeking. "I'll be home in two days. If Chuck's still missing, I'll help you drag him out of whatever hole he's fallen into."

"Okay. If you happen to hear from him tell him to call me."

"Why would I hear from him?" Blair tried to sound nonchalant.

Serena snorted. "You might like to pretend otherwise but we both know you'll never be 'done' with Chuck."

"Whatever. I'm going back to sleep. I'll call you later." Blair disconnected the call and turned off her phone for good measure.

She rolled over and snuggled back into the bed at her father's château, trying to find the amazingly perfect spot she'd occupied before Serena called. She was just beginning to drift back to sleep, lulled by the steady sound of the heart beating underneath her ear, when her slumber was once again rudely interrupted.

"Why didn't you tell her the truth?"

She cracked one eye and looked at the man in bed with her. "And that would be?"

"That the only hole Chuck Bass has fallen into lately is Blair Waldorf." Even though it was still dark, she heard the smirk in his voice.

Despite herself, Blair smiled.

"You're heinous and I hate you."

"I'm heinous and you love me."

Blair thought back to the moment he had unexpectedly arrived at her father's home three days earlier. He had come for her, the look in his eye proclaiming that this was going to be one of those movie moments. _Audrey and Bogart in Sabrina…Cary Grant and Grace Kelly in To Catch a Thief…Chuck and Blair in Paris._ And although it was interlaced with a healthy dose of sexual innuendo, the hero had spoken the words the heroine had longed for.

"No," Blair corrected. "You're heinous, I love you, and you love me."

"Right you are, Waldorf." Chuck said a moment before he captured her lips in a kiss that made her toes curl. "Now, why don't you give me the only thing I really want for my birthday?"

As his hands trailed sparks of heat down her body, Blair abandoned all thought of going back to sleep. After all, she had much better things to do—namely Chuck Bass.


	6. Author's Note

**A/N: **A quick update for those of you who enjoyed this story and/or have it on an update alert. When I wrote chapter five (or, as I like to think of it, the epilogue), I didn't count on wanting to write about how Chuck and Blair got to their happy ending/beginning. So, I've decided to write a sequel titled Prelude to a Kiss. I could have continued Just Desserts, but I feel it's more about getting rid of Jack & is complete as is.

Hope you check the new story out!


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